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[Terras]

Draft Pick: 2010 4th Round, Pick 7, 97th Overall
Born: 9/3/90
From: Trail, BC
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 184 lbs.
Shoots: Left
Position: Left Wing


2006-07: 48GP, 0+5=5, 38PIM
2007-08: 67GP, 11+14=25, 72PIM
2008-09: 72GP, 28+22=50, 62PIM
2009-10: 72GP, 37+60=97, 44PIM
FWIW, 2009-10 Playoffs: 16GP, 12+12=24, 12PIM



Formerly of the Vancouver Giants of the WHL where he played with Milan Lucic and Evander Kane, Cunningham was ranked 108th amongst North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting before the draft. He won the President's Cup and Memorial Cup with Vancouver back in 2007 and since then has only improved, taking advantage of extra playing time and better linemates as players like Kane and James Wright graduated to the NHL. In his final season, Cunningham was a unanimous WHL First-Team selection and a nominee for WHL Player of the Year.


He doesn't have much of a physical presence but is known to fight through checks and work during his TOI. He also cobbled together at least 5 fighting majors in 2 seasons, according to http://www.hockeyfig...ockeyfights.com, including one against the gargantuan Tyler Myers. It is unclear how Cunningham projects and I honestly don't know how well his scoring abilities will translate to NHL. He's a versatile player and has played some center in his career, so he could offer a scoring touch and some flexibility to an energy line somewhere down the line, but from what I've read it seems unlikely he'll ever be a top-4 winger.


International Scouting Services in April 2010:

Cunningham has slid under the radar of ISS Western scouts most of the season -- that is until now. He enjoyed a terrific season, pulling up great offensive numbers at a more than point-per-game pace. With his quick shot and smart play with the puck he has continued to show strong finish and consistency around the net, capitalizing on his chances. His size isn't a concern and his heart/passion is a bonus.

Feature piece by Trans World Sport on the Vancouver Giants, including an interview with Cunningham beginning at 5:32 (You can also see him get dumped on his ass at 7:10)

Edited by Terras, 16 September 2010 - 09:33 PM.

[Terras]

Kirk makes mention of some possible chemistry between Cunningham and Jordan Caron in his dev camp and prospect write-ups.

Day 5

I tried to get a better look at the lower-end guys today because much has been written about the usual suspects, but once again, Colborne, Jared Knight and Ryan Spooner made that difficult because they were so involved offensively. Jordan Caron and Craig Cunningham showed off some nice mojo together during 3-on-3 play, and when I was talking to Cunningham afterward, he was praising Spooner (his 5-on-5 linemate- they alternated taking draws and playing center, with invite Tyler Brenner on the other side.) while Caron sat on the other side of him pointing at his own chest, looking for a little love. Cunningham finally caught on and gave Caron his due. That little example of rapport is why the Bruins are doing these camps- it gives someone brand new to the organization like Cunningham a chance to glom on to someone who's been around a little longer and he'll not have to spend time getting comfortable with a completely new dressing room when he comes back in late August.

Caron write-up: http://bruins2010dra...s-3-jordan.html

[Caron] displayed those attributes well throughout the camp and even showed off a nice chemistry when he was skating with Craig Cunningham during the final day's 3-on-3 scrimmage. If both are in Providence this season, you can bet that Rob Murray will put them together at some point, as he was there for the scrimmage and undoubtedly picked up on how well the two complemented each other with their skilled, but grinding style.

[Terras]

Kirk's write-up on Cunningham, who he has as the #23 prospect in the Boston system: http://bruins2010dra...s-23-craig.html

Short but stocky forward is naturally strong and better suited to transition from major junior to the pro grind than one would think simply by looking at his vitals on paper. Strong upper- and lower-body drive for his size. Very good skater who doesn't have explosive speed, but is highly quick and agile; outstanding edge control provides him the balance and elusiveness to slip checks and create space for himself. Soft hands for passing and scoring goals. Can feather feeds through traffic and find open teammates for quality scoring opportunities. Has a quick stick and is exceptionally good at getting it on loose pucks and putting them home in close. Chippy player who gives as good as he gets; not afraid to get his nose dirty. Doesn't have the size to be a physical force, but willingly initiates contact and finishes his checks-- plays with a lot of energy. Another dedicated gym rat who became a close friend and workout partner of Milan Lucic's when the two were teammates on the Memorial Cup-winning Vancouver Giants in 2006-07.

The Bruins did not draft Cunningham with the thought of having him serve as an AHL Marty St. Pierre-type of filler player, but hope that he could one day become a fixture on their third line and see a lot of special teams time.

Sounds like he's slated for no higher than the energy line, given his skill set.

[Terras]

From the Rookie Games thread:

Craig Cunningham could fill the Bitzy Cat's shoes - very little natural skill, but I enjoyed watching him knock into a couple of guys, and, of course, maximum effort on the backcheck is always appreciated. It was very much a pipe dream of mine that he was going to get slotted with Colborne and Caron and it's probably a good thing he didn't
because he isn't anywhere near their level and is much more suited for an energy line position.

He had three shots in the second game of the exhibition series, including one that was a near goal (from what I understand, I didn't get to see it live). Part of that came from filling in for the injured Joe Colborne on the second line, where he centered Caron and MacDermid, which allowed him to take a more offensive role.

The Vancouver Giants have said they would welcome Cunningham back to the WHL with the "C" waiting for him, should the Bruins fail to sign him before the fall. Cunningham, who just turned 20, would be eligble to play on the P-Bruins if signed.

Edited by Terras, 16 September 2010 - 09:32 PM.

[Terras]

After 12 games, Cunningham is leading the WHL with 22 points (6 goals and 16 assists) and is currently sitting at +5. 4 of his 12 GP have been 3-point games.

Edited by Terras, 19 October 2010 - 06:04 PM.

[Manzivino]

After 12 games, Cunningham is leading the WHL with 22 points (6 goals and 16 assists) and is currently sitting at +5. 4 of his 12 GP have been 3-point games.

A ridiculous 5 assists and a +2 in Vancouver's 7-5 win last night over Kelowna, putting him at 6 21 27 +7 through 13 games. Now a 4 point edge over teammate Brendan Gallagher for the scoring lead.

Edit: And another 2 assists and a +2 in Friday's 5-2 victory over Brandon. Season totals now at 6 23 29 +9 through 14 games, maintaining his 4 point lead in the scoring race. Cunningham now has an 8 game point streak, with multiple points in 5 consecutive games and 7 of 8.

Edited by Manzivino, 23 October 2010 - 07:39 AM.

[Manzivino]

2 more multi-point games for Cunningham: 1G 1A +2 on Saturday and 0G 3A +1 last night. Totals are now 7 G, 27 A, +12 through 16 games with a 10 game point streak and multiple points in 7 straight and 9 of 10. His lead over teammate Gallagher in the scoring race is up to 6 points; the nearest non-Giant is Ty Rattie at 23 points through 13 games.

Cunningham was also named WHL Player of the Week for the week of 10/18-10/24.

[The Four Peters]

Jesus, where did this offense come from? If he can keep up production at these levels, that's a great sign. He has a great motor and would function well on an energy type line, but offense like this is even better. 34 points in 16 games is damn impressive.

[Terras]

PSK and I were talking about it, and its not like this came out of nowhere. He had the 97 points last year, but it was relatively overlooked given his skill set and how he was scouted and viewed by the team. He didn't have all that impressive of a camp and our forward depth was such that we could afford to see if he could do it again (which he apparently is). I really didn't think he was going to sniff 100 points again and was expecting something in between his last two seasons, a 25+45=70 season, but he's proving me wrong and good for him. If he's playing an energy line with someone like Marchand with hands like the ones he's showing off now, that would be a very versatile energy line.

[PedroSpecialK]

This piece sheds some light as to why Cunningham returned to juniors - wasn't the Bruins' call, really:

It's a stellar week for the Bruins organization - quite literally. In the same week that Tim Thomas was named not only the NHL's first star of the week, but also the second star of the month, Craig Cunningham, Bruins prospect currently playing his overage year for the Vancouver Giants, was named WHL player of the month for October.

Cunningham has 36 points through 18 games, including a ten-game points streak. He leads the league in scoring, and holds a +14 rating, good for second best on the Giants. Although he was offered an AHL contract, and could have played for the Providence Bruins this season (having completed four years of junior hockey), Cunningham opted to give his junior team one more shot, playing as an overage player in the Giants' 10-11 quest for the Memorial Cup.

[Manzivino]

This piece sheds some light as to why Cunningham returned to juniors - wasn't the Bruins' call, really:

It's a stellar week for the Bruins organization - quite literally. In the same week that Tim Thomas was named not only the NHL's first star of the week, but also the second star of the month, Craig Cunningham, Bruins prospect currently playing his overage year for the Vancouver Giants, was named WHL player of the month for October.

Cunningham has 36 points through 18 games, including a ten-game points streak. He leads the league in scoring, and holds a +14 rating, good for second best on the Giants. Although he was offered an AHL contract, and could have played for the Providence Bruins this season (having completed four years of junior hockey), Cunningham opted to give his junior team one more shot, playing as an overage player in the Giants' 10-11 quest for the Memorial Cup.

FWIW Leudeke directly contradicts this (see HFBoard post here), saying point blank Cunningham wasn't offered a contract because the Bruins are close to their 50 contract maximum.

[PedroSpecialK]

Interesting - obviously take Kirk's word here over somethingsbruin.net. Maybe it'll change next week on Keeping Up with the Cunninghams.

[Terras]

Craig Cunningham picked up an assist tonight in the Giants' 5-1 loss to Chilliwack, putting him at 39 points, best in the WHL. He also played his 281st game for the Giants, which sets a new franchise record.

[cshea]

http://twitter.com/kluedeke29

B's prospect Craig "Richie" Cunningham traded to Portland Winterhawks. The 'Hawks are making a run-- he'll play w/ Johansen, Niederreiter